George Wallace was the Democratic governor of Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Wallace was elected into office four times and served as governor for a combined 16 years. He also ran for President four times in 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976.

Wallace was elected on a segregationist platform and declared in 1963 that he supported "segregation now, segregation forever." In the 1970s, Wallace became a born-again Christian and sought forgiveness from the African American community for his past stance on segregation.

Following a rally in May of 1972, Arthur Bremer shot Wallace four times in an assassination attempt. Wallace survived, but one of the bullets became lodged in his spinal cord, paralyzing him.

In 1995 Wallace wrote the imprisoned Bremer a letter, part of which read: "Dear Arthur, your shooting me in 1972 caused me a lot of discomfort and pain. I am a born-again Christian. I love you. I have asked our Heavenly Father to touch your heart, and I hope that you will ask him for forgiveness of your sin so you can go to heaven like I am going to heaven. I hope that we can get to know each other better. We have heard of each other a long time."

• August 25, 1919: George Wallace is born in Blio, Alabama

• 1937: Enrolls in the University of Alabama

• 1943: Enlists in the U.S. Air Force

• 1946: Wins first election as a representative of Barbour County in the Alabama legislature

• 1954: The U.S. Supreme Court bans segregation with their ruling on "Brown vs. Board of Education

• 1962: Wallace is elected governor of Alabama on a pro-segregation platform

• Jan. 14, 1963: In his inaugural speech, Wallace declares his support for "segregation now, segregation forever"

• May 15, 1972: Arthur Bremer shoots Wallace, paralyzing him below the waist

• 1979: Wallace contacts African American civil rights leaders to ask for their forgiveness for his past stance on race relations

• 1986: After his fourth term as the governor of Alabama, Wallace retires from politics

• Sept. 13, 1998: George Wallace dies in Montgomery, AL